But it's not always easy to keep it together when it feels like winning is everything.
Having a healthy attitude about sports and learning to deal with the stress that comes
with competing can help you perform your best.

Check Stress Levels

Competing always leads to some stress.
And that can be good — a little stress helps the body face a challenge. But
too much stress can
take the fun out of a sport and make it hard to perform. Besides competing, other
things can make athletes feel stressed out, such as:

Do something fun and relaxing. Take a break from competing and go for a walk,
ride a bike, see a movie, or hang out with friends.

Remember, no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes in sports — it's part
of the game. Be quick to forgive mistakes and move on.

Sports are about staying active, feeling proud, developing as a player, and making
friends. Above all, whether you play on the varsity team or at a weekend pick-up game,
the point is to have fun. By keeping that as the priority, you can learn to handle
the stress that is a natural part of competition.